Anthony Mills presents key findings from the cross-continental market study on revenue generating opportunities for tailored weather information products.

1. Main Findings of the CIRDA
Market Assessment
Revenue-generating opportunities through tailored weather
information products
Anthony Mills
CEO C4 EcoSolutions
Cape Town, South Africa
www.c4es.co.za
UNDP CIRDA Country Program Managers Workshop
15-17 March 2016
Livingstone, Zambia

2. Outline of presentation
1. Assignment
2. Main Findings
3. Conclusions

3. Assignment
• Continental-scale market assessment of
opportunities for developing tailored weather
and climate products.
• Assess the readiness of the 11 NHMSs in
countries supported by CIRDA to pursue
commercialisation of weather and climate
services.
• Identify potential pathways for such
commercialisation.

4. Assignment: methods
Desktop research
Interviews:
• NHMSs
• private companies
• UN agencies
• NGOs
• research institutions
Sectors/themes:
• agriculture
• aviation
• energy
• forestry
• insurance
• mining
• water

5. Main Findings
• Availability, diversity, sophistication
and use of weather information
• National weather markets
• Use of satellite data
• Private weather companies

6. • Private weather companies
not dependent on NHMS data
• Considerable risk of private
sector dominating and NHMSs
being marginalised.

7. Accurate, consistent data from observation networks:
• quality of weather information products
• size of weather market
• sharing of revenue streams

8. InfoPlaza: Dutch company that split off from NHMS
“Developing a market for weather products is difficult …The effort required to
create innovative products and develop the business should not be
underestimated.”
“For the CIRDA programme, it is important to keep in mind the end-goal. Is the
NHMS being developed? Is the market for weather products being developed?
Are both the NHMS and market for weather products being developed?”
Pertinent quotes from interviews

9. Anonymous:
“..there is a big difference in the information that Accuweather provides
and the data that the NHMS provides. In most countries in Africa,
Accuweather provide more accurate information than the NHMS.”
Pertinent quotes from interviews

10. Meteogroup: Dutch weather company; combine data from numerous sources to provide reliable
and detailed weather forecasts; 140 forecasters on their staff.
“In the 1990s [in Europe], competition between NHMSs and private weather companies was
pervasive. Currently, however, NHMSs make their data readily available.”
“[Meteogroup]…pays a standard, fixed price for the data – which is often 11% of the revenue ...”
“Raw weather data in isolation has limited value. Rather value is generated from weather data
through the development of services. The precise value of these services is determined by data
reliability and …incomes. The challenge for NHMSs in African countries is to make their data
available.”
Anonymous: “The majority of NHMSs … are focused on owning the data instead of improving the
availability of these data.”
Pertinent quotes from interviews

11. Anonymous private weather company:
“…has direct supply agreements with many NHMSs worldwide …purchases weather stations
…can access unrestricted data… increases the value of the data by packaging it and selling
these packages to end users.”
On one NHMS: “…staff within the NHMS do not understand the market value of weather data
and either underprice or overprice these data; ii) the NHMS collects and stores weather data but
not in an appropriate format for users, such as excel spreadsheets; and iii) the quality of
weather data is limited.”
“It would be ideal if [weather company] partners with NHMSs in Africa to assist them with adding
value to their data.”
[Weather company could] “…act as an intermediary for private sector companies wishing to access
weather information from [country x]… Instead of 20 companies contacting the NHMS, [weather
company] can act on behalf of these 20 companies to streamline the information sharing process.
Pertinent quotes from interviews

12. Meteogroup:
What factors are needed for Meteogroup to start working in Africa?
• political stability;
• favourable legislative and regulatory frameworks;
• an NHMS that has a basic operating observation network with
adequate reliability;
• industries with a strong dependence on weather information;
• a reliable means of communication with farmers; and
• adequate levels of education in end users, particularly with regards
to weather information.
Pertinent quotes from interviews

13. Meteogroup:
Did Meteogroup outcompete the NHMS in [country x]…?
“No, the basic infrastructure provided and maintained by the NHMS
was of value to Meteogroup. Therefore, cooperation with the NHMS
was promoted, rather than competition – an approach followed by
Meteogroup in all countries where it is active.”
Pertinent quotes from interviews

14. 1. NHMSs should partner with rather than
compete with private sector weather
companies.
2. NHMSs should embark on phased, slow
transitions into entities that derive benefits
from the national private weather markets.
Market Assessment Conclusions

15. NHMSs
• Primary weather information
• Local scale weather
phenomena
• Regulatory environment
• Guardian of national data
• Trusted intermediary
• Protecting public good
Conclusions: partnering
Weather companies
• Satellite data
• Product development
• Innovation
• Niche products
• Marketing
• Sales
Partnership principles: competitive, non-exclusive and performance-based.
Lessons learned from Netherlands, USA and South Africa

16. • Considerable interest from private sector to
engage with (even invest in) NHMSs
• Companies specialising in data acquisition
identified as ideal partners
• Cultural shift towards entrepreneurial mind-
set can take 10+ years (New Zealand
experience)
• New skills sets (business development,
negotiation skills etc.) required
Conclusions: partnering

17. NHMS status
Revenue
sharing
Gov. funding
Improved
products
Weather
market
Virtuous cycle:
underpinned by
strong NHMS
Conclusions: partnering
Accurate,
consistent data
from NHMS
Policies and
regulations that
promote data sharing
Expanding ground
observation network
Society aware of socio-
economic benefits of
strong NHMS

18. 3 main groups emerged across countries in the
CIRDA programme:
1. Ready to engage with selected private sector
companies: Tanzania, Zambia and Burkina Faso
2. Moderate capacity building required before
extensive engagement with the private sector:
Benin, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Malawi and Uganda
and
3. Intensive capacity building required before
extensive engagement with the private sector:
Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone
Conclusions: phased transition

19. • Raise awareness of socio-economic
benefits (productivity & losses)
• Engage treasury
• Revise regulations to promote
partnerships and data sharing
• Define roles of private sector versus
NHMS (manage expectations)
• Expand ground observation network
(potentially on cell phone towers)
Conclusions: phased transition
Virtuous cycle activities
Accurate
data
Regulations
Data sharing
Observation
network
Market
Cost-benefit ratios of 1:4 in
Europe to 1:10 in Central Asia

20. • Mobile phone companies
• Weather companies providing primary weather
data
• Expanded relationships in aviation sector
• Developing tailored weather information products
within partnerships
• Weather index-based insurance products
(acknowledging great complexity)
• Financial services (hedging against power
disruptions)
• Operation of weather stations
Conclusions: phased transition
Potential partnerships/activities
Sectors:
• Health
• Water
• Agriculture
• Tourism
• Mining
• Energy
• Forestry
• Fisheries
• Disaster management
• Infrastructure
• Transport

21. • Use service providers to bridge the gap
(business development, sales and
marketing)
• Develop in-house expertise
• Identify suitable entry points through in-
depth national market assessments (e.g.
primary weather data providers)
Conclusions: phased transition
Engaging with private sector to forge deals

22. End of presentation
Thank you for your attention